Various large-scale systems have been proposed for extracting monocot embryos; however, these systems have generally been designed to perform in a manner that damages the monocot embryos during extraction and extracts portions of the monocot seed other than the monocot embryo. Current systems and methods for extracting monocot embryos typically extract the embryos through a distal end (crown) of the seeds while the seeds are still on their carrier. For example, a corn embryo is typically extracted by forcing the embryo through the crown of a kernel while the kernel is attached to a cob. The anatomy of corn kernels and other monocot seeds generally requires application of significant forces to extract embryos through the distal end (crown) of the seeds. These significant forces create undesirable stress on the embryo. Typically, current monocot embryo extraction methods also require sieving of the extracted material to ensure separation of the embryo from other materials. The sieving step requires application of further force to the embryos, thereby resulting in further stress on the embryos. Additionally, systems for extracting dicot embryos are not particularly suitable for extracting monocot embryos. Thus, there is a need for alternative methods to extract isolated, undamaged monocot embryos from monocot seeds.